Hunting

Should the use of game snares on public land be restricted in South Dakota? If you're a trapper, you might have one opinion. If you've had to untangle a snare from around the neck of your hunting dog, you might have another.

Arthur C. Jones is a professor in the department of musicology, ethnomusicology, and theory at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. He is the founder of the Spirituals Project—a nonprofit organization working to preserve and revitalize the music and social justice teachings of African American spirituals. In January of 2017, Jones spoke with SDPB’s Lori Walsh about the importance of preserving this specific piece of musical history. They begin with the origin of his research.

South Dakota’s Secretary of Tourism says you should take Friday off. It’s National Travel and Tourism week, and state officials are seizing the opportunity to lure people away from their desks and into the wild. They also celebrate South Dakotans who promote tourism in their everyday work.

Workers at the South Dakota Department of Tourism have a long week promoting their industry. Secretary Jim Hagen says an expectation remains: employees should use their paid time off.

"Dogs exhibit heroism under fire in extreme combat," says Jim Dugan (USAF ret) of Rapid City who will talk about his Vietnam War experiences as a dog handler, while headquartered at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. Sponsored by the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group, the free family event on Saturday, February 11 will take place at Ellsworth Air Force Base's South Dakota Air and Space Museum, starting at 9 am.

The State House Committee for Agriculture and Natural Resources has passed a bill that changes the way land owners can use hunting permits. The bill allows land owners to transfer those permits in certain circumstances.

House Bill 1094 passed by a vote of seven to six after being highly debated on both sides. The bill says people who own more than 640 acres can transfer big game hunting permits to any legal hunter in the state with or without payment. The permit could only be used on the land owned or leased by the owner.

The pheasant is not only important in South Dakota for its cultural value, but also for what it contributes to the economy. In 2015, more than 150 thousand hunters harvested more than one point two million pheasants in South Dakota. Nearly 85 thousand hunters came from out of state. They poured millions of dollars into local economies. South Dakota isn’t a pheasant destination by accident.

Drones are gaining in popularity. They are seeing increased use in commercial applications like real estate. And, even some use in law enforcement. But there is one thing many wildlife officials say drones shouldn’t be used for… hunting. Wyoming just passed a restriction on drone use in hunting. Other states are considering proactive measures to maintain ethical hunting practices.

Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown has cared for three eagles with lead poisoning this year. They may ingest a lead fishing weight, or eat contaminated meat…either another bird with lead poisoning, or fragmented bullets on deer carcasses.

The South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society is celebrating 50 years in the state. Shane Mahoney is keynote speaker for their annual meeting. He’s the president and CEO Conservation Visions Incorporated. He’s a scientist, a film maker, a writer, a wildlife manager, and a policy innovator.

Gary Gillett is the founder of the Hunting Film Tour. The Hunting Film Tour, in its third year, is an exhibition of hunting films that celebrates the conservation side of hunting. The idea is to showcase quality filmmaking about hunting, to dispel the myths surrounding hunting and to show as many people as possible that hunting and hunters are the driving force behind conservation efforts in North America.

The state of Kentucky is about 1200 miles from the Black Hills but that might not be too far for a mountain lion to roam. A Black Hills mountain lion turned up in the Bluegrass State recently.

The 5 year old male was treed by a dog near the town of Paris, Kentucky and local officials shot the animal citing public safety concerns. Later genetic testing showed the big cat is related to the Black Hills population.

Saturday is South Dakota's pheasant opener and hunters should find more ringnecks in comparison to last year. The state Game, Fish and Parks annual brood count survey showed a 76 percent statewide increase in the pheasants-per-mile index over 2013. Last year’s sharp decline in pheasant numbers led to Governor Daugaard’s creation of the Pheasant Habitat Work Group. The group presented its recommendations in September.

Cara Hetland hosted today's Innovation program from the South Dakota Technology Business Center in Sioux Falls where she visited with several entrepreneurs at the annual Accelerator Boot Camp. Pam Boehm, Entrepreneurship and Incubation Manager at the Technology Business Center, discussed this year's boot camp.

Chinese ring-necked pheasants were first successfully introduced in South Dakota in 1908 in Spink County. That was also where the state’s first pheasant hunting season took place.

Today pheasant hunting is big business in the state. According to the South Dakota Department of Tourism, pheasant hunting generates an estimated 223 million dollars annually. But pheasant numbers have been falling since 2007. Concern about the declining pheasant population and its statewide impact led Governor Dennis Daugaard to form a pheasant habitat task force.

Mountain Lion hunting season ended Monday. This year’s quota was 25 fewer than last year’s of 100. But as of Friday, only 52 lions had been harvested. There’s a lot of data that goes into determining the mountain lion quota and it’s up to a Game, Fish and Parks commission to consider that data, plus input from mountain lion enthusiasts and protectors to set a limit.

The state House of Representatives passed a measure to allow night vision hunting under certain conditions. SB 104 allows hunters on their own land to hunt at night with a shotgun or a fire arm using a rimfire cartridge. It also requires a hunter to use night vision technology. Democratic State Representative Dennis Feickert says South Dakota is behind what other states are already doing.

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resource committee passed two bills Tuesday. Both aim to improve scenarios of hunting in the state. Senate Bill 104 gives a person the authorization to hunt coyotes on their land using night vision. Democratic State Senator Jason Frerichs says this is a fair bill.

As Congress struggles to wrap up work on a new farm bill South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Lucas Lentsch discussed how the state's ag producers could be affected by a possible failure of the much-delayed legislation. Lentsch is also a member of the new Pheasant Habitat Work Group. He says hunting can be improved while also supporting agriculture.

According to state Game, Fish and Parks surveys, this year’s pheasant brood has dropped 64 percent from 2012. The numbers are down 76 percent from the 10-year average. South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks Secretary Jeff Vonk says the brood count in late summer is as low as Game, Fish and Parks has seen in 30 or 40 years. Governor Dennis Daugaard has convened a pheasant habitat summit Friday in Huron at the Crossroads Hotel and Convention Center to discuss the future of pheasant habitat and hunting in South Dakota.

Pheasant numbers are down in South Dakota this year. According to a report from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, the population is low because months of persistent drought in 2012, a cold, wet spring in 2013 and a reduction of habitat have affected pheasant brood counts.

The mountain lion hunting season in the Black Hills has come to an end. This year hunters were allowed to harvest up to 100 lions. However, Game Fish and Parks officials say the fact that hunters harvested just 61 mountain lions likely shows the numbers of the big cats are now down in the Black Hills. They say the lions are a renewable resource and their numbers will again return. But critics see a red flag. They say the GF&P allowed over-hunting of the cats.

South Dakota is known for its hunting, but during hunting seasons, some landowners say they see many people trespassing on their personal property. Senate Bill 183 sought to increase penalties for people caught trespassing while hunting. The proposed legislation increases the loss of hunting, trapping or fishing licenses from one year to two for any person who knowingly enters or remains on private property. Jeremiah Murphy with the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association says there are hunters who accidentally get off track, and those who have no regard for personal property.

South Dakotans are one step closer to being able to use their trained dogs to find wounded or dead big game animals like deer while hunting. Members of the Senate Ag committee passed House Bill 1093 Tuesday morning. The bill requires dogs tracking big game to be on leashes, and also allows dogs to hunt mountain lions during established hunting seasons. Tony Leif with the Game, Fish and Parks Department spoke in favor of the legislation.

Hunters who veer off onto personal property might be facing stricter trespassing penalties. The Senate Ag committee passed Senate Bill 183 Thursday morning after adding an amendment that clarifies some of the language. The penalty for trespassing while hunting under current law is loss of hunting license for one year. The amendment to the bill changes that to a two year loss and provides a clearer definition of hunting.